Cushioned razor-strop



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(ModeL) J. R. TORRBY. Cushioned Razor Strap.

Patented April 19,1881.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2- (Model J. R. TORREY. Cushioned Razor Strep.

Patented April 19,, 18st;

Mil-255555.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH R. TORREY, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

CUSHIONED RAZOR-STROP.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 240,342, dated April 19, 1881.

Application filed September 18,1880. (Model) To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOSEPH R. TORREY, of the city and county of Worcester, and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gushioned Razor-Strops; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 represents a top view. Fig. 2 represents an edge or side view of the strop shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 represents a cross-section on line 00 00, Fig. 2. Figs. 4, 5, and firepresent views of a modification, as will be hereinafter more fully described.

To enable those skilled in the art to which my invention belongs to make and use the SHIiJB, I will proceed to describeit more in detai The nature of my invention consists of a cushioned elastic strop, and also in the combination of said elastic cushioned strop with a central wooden supporting part, as will be hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawings, the parts marked A represent the cushioned elastic stropping parts. As shown in Figs. 1,2, and 3, the cushioned elastic stropping parts A are stretched and combined with central wooden supporting parts B, which are extended to form the handle U. The ends D D of the cushioned stropping part A are stretched down on the top and bottom sides of the central wooden supporting part B from the point B to the point E, where they are properly secured to the base of the part B, as indicated at E, Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, and said cushioned elastic strop: ping parts A are so stretched as to leave spaces (Ht nearly, if not quite, through between the central wooden supporting part B and the inside of the cushioned parts A.

The cushioned parts A, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, areformed as follows: A paper sheath, 1), of sufficient length to make one side of the strop,is provided with a wide layer of leather, 0, and upon the inside of that with another layer of leather, about two-thirds as wide, and between such layers and the paper sheath 1) are evenly-arranged layers of cotton or wool, e, in sufficientnumbers to keep the parts A well extended. The outer coating f of the strop is formed or made from leather. leather 0 d are arranged upon the inner sides of the stropping parts A, as indicated in Fig. 3, by which arrangement proper supports are given to the stropping parts A should they be forced down when in use, so as to strike against the central wooden supporting part B.

The outer ends of the stropping parts A, Figs. 1, 2, and 3, are fastened to the front end of central wooden supporting part B, at the point B, by lapping the ends of the leather casings or coatings f, and then nailing said lapped ends to the front end of the wooden supporting part B. Said lapped ends of leather coatings f may be first glued together to make a more finished job. The stropping parts A are nailed to the wooden supporting part B at the point E, after which the nail-heads may be covered'by a leather trimming glued on, and which trimming is indicated by full lines in the drawings.

In Figs. 4 and 5 are represented top and edge views of the cushioned elastic parts A when used without any central wooden supporting part; and,instead of layers of leather 0 and d, the leather partfis lapped at one side, as shown at g g, and aleather holding end, F, is fastened to its outer end and provided with a hole, h,for hooking or hanging it upon a hook or hanging-pin, while it is held taut for use by the leather handle G, fastened to its other end. It is stuffed or filled with layers of cotton or wool e, the same as in Figs. 1 and 2; and Fig. 6 represents asection upon line m 00, Fig. 5 of the drawings.

It will be observed that each stropping part is free to move laterally, excepting at its extreme endsthat is, it is not confined, exceptin g at its ez'ztreme ends-and as a result thereof it can vibrate or yield slightly in a lateral direction while in use, thereby producing a more perfect action upon the razor-edge than it such stropping part was confined atits edges from end to end, as in the old devices prior to my invention.

It is important, in making my cushioned elastic stropping parts A, that the different layers of cotton or wool should all be arranged uniformly and evenly whenfinally left for use in the sheathb orleathersheath f; and to accomplish this I first take a thin piece of card-board of the proper width and then carefully arrange The layers of the layers of cotton or wool upon this piece of card-board until a sufficient pile of fibrous material has been obtained to fill the sheaths b or f, as the case may be, when another piece of card-board is placed on top of the fibrous material, and the whole then carefully run into the sheath, after which the pieces of cardboard are carefully drawn out, one after another, the fibrous material being held from being displaced or drawn out with the pieces of card-board.

The stroppin g parts A, it will be observed, are kept extended longitudinally in a suitably taut manner while in use by the central Wooden supporting part B, Figs. 1, 2, and 3, and by the handle Gr, Figs. 4 and 5.

By the combination of the elastic stropping part A with the central part, B, so that the same is held firm and secure at each end of the central part, B, while, at the same time, the said elastic cushioned stropping part is supported and kept from too great deflection While in use by coming in contact with the central part, a far better and more desirable result is obtained in the operation of sharpening the razor than would be the case if the said stropping elastic surfaces were allowed to bend down when the razor was drawn over them, as would be the case if thefastenedends were extended by means of straining mechanism. Therefore it will be seen by those skilled in the art to which my invention belongs thatI have devised a strop in which the elasticity is preserved, and the surface over which the edge of the razor is drawn is made to assume the desired shape for impartin g a perfect edge, since when the central portion of the elastic part A is depressed the in- Her surface is pressed against and supported by the rigid central part, B, thereby causing the edges of the outer surface to be fulled or pushed out, to act upon the edge of the at the same time being supported on the inner sides thereof when in use, all as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The mode or process hereinbefore described of making elastic cushioned stroppin g parts A of a razor-strop, consisting, first, of the evenly piling of layers of cotton or wool 6 upon a thin piece of card-board until a sufiicient thickness to form the desired cushion is obtained, then applying another piece of cardboard, and then inserting combined layers of fibrous material and card-board in the stropping-sheath upon the layers of leather 0 d, and finally withdrawing the card-board pieces, one at a time, so as to leave the fibrous layers extended evenly from end to end in the sheath, all as shown and described.

JOSEPH R. TORREY.

Witnesses:

Tnos. H. DODGE, EDWIN E. MooRE. 

